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Zack (Zone Magic)
Zack is an original character made by Friendlysociopath and may appear in a What-If Deathbattle. Mary Sue score: 7 - 12 (margin of error for possibly misunderstanding questions or answering them incorrectly) Zack is not to be used without Friendlysociopath's permission- though asking will likely result in such permission. Deathbattle fanon ideas *Zack (Zone Magic) vs Shirou (Fate Stay Night) *Zack Fair (Final Fantasy VII) vs Zack (Zone Magic) *Zack (Zone Magic) vs Ozpin (RWBY) *Soma Schicksal (God Eater) vs Zack (Zone Magic) *Zack (Zone Magic) vs Dante (Devil May Cry) *Ludger Will Kresnik (Tales of Xillia 2) vs Zack (Zone Magic) *Zack (Zone Magic) vs 9S (Nier Automata) *Yu Narukami (Persona 4) vs Zack (Zone Magic) Background "Nobody faces the world alone." During a relatively normal day, The Shift occurred suddenly and without warning. The entire population of the world fell unconscious for exactly 30 seconds. During this time, millions of lives were lost and millions more were injured severely. The time afterwords saw the introduction of forces and beings not of the Earth- thus began an age of magic and limitless possibility. Mages were humans that manifested the ability to use magic. They were of all ages, from the oldest woman to the youngest boy. Each was born with a single spell that could cast- but also with a grave potential. If a mage killed another mage- their power and spells would go to the killer. Thus began The Shift, an entire year of battle between various mages looking to find and slay others of their kind to obtain a greater power. With so many injured and dead, the various world governments could not stop them easily, or even at all in some areas. Zack, though it was not his name at the time, was just shy of twelve years old when The Shift started. Both he and his younger brother, Allen, manifested Zones- which made them a target for mages. An incident occurred that left Zack fleeing home and his younger brother dead behind him as the attacking mage's laughter rang in his ears. Over the course of a year, Zack would learn to harness his powers and even kill to protect himself and his new family, but thanks to the bonds he formed; he was not lost to the world and managed to overcome his past. By the end of The Shift, Zack had become a formidable mage (though far from the top) and a capable human being- he worked alongside many others to set up rules and laws concerning magecraft and how to govern its use and practice as well as offering to help train newer mages as time went on. Seven years later, Zack was the residing headmaster of a mage school in the Mage Protection Program before old enemies rose up again and new enemies joined the fray. He once again took to the field to defend himself and his beloved students from the hostile forces, both magical and mundane, that sought to destroy everything he'd worked so hard to build. Abilities/Powers Magecraft Zone Zack's brand of magic involves what he has dubbed a 'Zone'. This spherical field is not actual energy of any kind so far as mages or mundane people know or measure it, even compared to the spells themselves. It functions as something of a battery and, at the same time, a field of heightened awareness for the mages. The Zone is not produced by them but rather seems to be channeled from elsewhere through them. It is the source for their spells but, in addition, provides them with information regarding everything within its range such as identifying and locating living beings, magical spells and energies, and with enough practice the Zone can be taught additional directives like finding the truth or sensing emotions. Spells Casting a spell consumes some of the Zone depending on how much power is packed into the spell. The sacrificed Zone produces magical energy that can then manifest an effect on the real world. The Zone will begin as a sphere but, as spells are used, chunks will vanish and the Zone will accordingly shrink and change to return to a spherical shape. The Zone replenishes over time- though the rate it's replenished slows and can even stop if the mage has too many self-centered spells such as buffs active. *'View' - The View spell allows Zack to see the Zones of othe mages, something nobody else can do. It even functions on non-Zone magic systems as he can still sense the reserves and ranges of magics that don't use a Zone, such as the Chinese hand-seals or the South African tribal casting. *'Pull' - The mage can touch various locations with their hands and leave a magical charge behind. Any two or more objects/areas with this charge can be pulled towards one another independant of mass/gravity so long as both are still within the mage's Zone. *'Zone Blade' - Conjures up a blade forged of magical energy that will cut through all things. The more Power put into the spell, the greater the reach of the weapon. The cost for this spell is so high that many mages who possess it cannot actually wield the weapon for more than a few seconds even as a small knife. *'Shadow Snake' - Creates magical serpents from shadows within the Zone, they cannot be harmed physically unless they've manifested and struck at an enemy, though magical attacks and light will destroy them with ease. The darker and larger the shadow- the less the drain for forming them. *'Magic Jump' - The user can catapult themselves far higher into the air than normal and land safely from the jump. While they cover a larger range, the speed of the jump is approximately the same as a mundane one, making it ultimately a slow trip. *'Stick' - A mage can manipulate their specific reaction to gravity or the reaction of something they've touched, allowing them to stick to walls and ceilings with ease as though it were the ground beneath them. *'Enforce' - The mage enchants the touched object with increased permanence, making it more difficult to move, damage, or otherwise change beyond the mage's wishes. *'Thunder Stride' - The mage's next step becomes infused with magic, allowing him to cover the distance he desires so quickly that he leaves a clap of thunder in his wake. The spell only functions when taking a literal step, it does nothing for jumping and it does not allow him to strike at this speed or react to strikes of the same velocity. *'Cool' - A mist of magical energy forms and moves at the mage's command, cooling any still liquids it comes into contact with. *'Release' - Any latent or stored energy, such as the gunpowder in a bullet or the volatile energy of an un-detonated Fireball spell, is immediately activated upon being touched by the twisting energies of this spell; enchanted items will likewise expunge all of their stored power at once. *'De-Spark' - Zack can cause small sparks to never begin in the selected area, this is commonly used for preventing shocks from mechanical appliances, though Zack has found that it makes guns impossible to fire as well. *'Soundless' - Magical energy cloaks the user, preventing any sound from being created by the movements and actions of the mage. However, effects such as the crack of Thunder Stride are not entirely related to the mage and as such will not be silenced. Many spells can be cast in more than one way, Soundless is one such spell as it can also manifest as an AoE that denies all sound passing through it. *'Guide' - The Guide spell allows the caster to direct their physical movements to achieve a specific goal within their Zone such as correctly moving to attack or dodge. The spell only minimizes the margin of error to the point of it being non-existent, it does not allow a projectile to violate physics such as making a U-turn in the air or bypass barriers, nor does it augment the user's speed or choose a different action if the mage chooses unwisely. *'Meteor' - Unlike most spells, this one does not originate inside the Zone of the user. The meteor will come from outer space and strikes where the mage wills. While the spell is powered by the Zone no differently than any other- the size of the summoned Meteor increases each subsequent time it is cast- regardless of how much Zone the mage uses beyond the minimum. *'Sovereign' - A spell with only defensive properties, Sovereign so long as it remains active prevents magical energy from tampering within its boundaries, it will allow no magical effects to alter the state of the caster's body or mind; save those the caster themselves creates. *'Dimension Door' - The mage can will their Zone and take people and objects through it. This portal leads to a personal dimension specific to the caster. A sufficiently powerful mage can also apply the reverse and bring their dimension into reality itself for a short time. *'Transport' - When cast, the Zone of caster does not shrink immediately, though it is borrowed time nonetheless. Magical energy forms a ball/pillar of light. At the same time another light will appear at the destination- forming a dimensional gateway that allows travel between the two instantly. While the Zone does not shrink from this spell- the cost once great enough will cause the light to fade and the Zone to reduce to the new size immediately rather than gradually. *'Defy' - The Defy spell functions as a deterrent beyond mere magical energy. When cast and maintained, no other being within the Zone can manifest the same spells as the caster, enabling them sole control over any spells they and their opponent may share. An opponent who attempts such a thing will find that their Zone (or whatever variant they share) refuses to cast the spell or sacrifice itself at all to achieve this goal. *'Cleanse Air' - Misleadingly named, the spell does not actually cleanse the air affected. Instead, the area is filled with magically produced clean and healthy air while the air that existed prior is forced aside. *'Everfrost' - Creates a sphere of concentrated cold that will spread through the environment corresponding to the amount of power used and produce a special frost on afflicted objects within the radius. The frost is so cold that the air itself becomes impossible to breathe and even flames will fail if close enough to the ice. The frigid substance will never melt nor grow colder ever again and is seemingly a permanent fixture to the world. *'Shadow Wings' - The user conjures up a pair of wings from darkness, enabling them to fly through the air like a shadow. Like most Shadow magics, bright lights will cause them to become weaker and require more power to maintain while darkness lessens the cost and makes them stronger. *'Booming Movement' - The movements of all beings within the area are amplified in terms of sound, causing even the softest of steps to create a deafening noise that causes pain to hear for all but the caster. *'Blood Sword' - A massive black blade made seemingly of stone is summoned on the ground at the caster's feet. The weapon is initially too heavy for any human to normally lift- but becomes lighter and easier to swing once it tastes blood. The more blood that the sword absorbs, the stronger its motions become, enabling it an additional power source beyond the mage's own stores. *'Surface' - Creates tangible planes of force that can be used for travel- though they are very easily destroyed after being walked on. *'Accelerate' - The Zone augments the mind of the caster, enhancing their reflexes and conscious thoughts to speeds that a normal human could not attain, though it does not increase the physical speed of the mage in question. *'Truth Sight' - The mage becomes able to "see the truth". Whenever someone speaks or shows a falsehood within the area- a stream of glowing light will escape and contain the correct information for the caster. *'Trace' - The mage targets individual objects or beings within the area, marking them with a tracing seal that will persist for a set amount of time even after they leave the Zone of the caster. Should the seal be broken or the energy set within give out- the seal will vanish. So long as the seal persists- the mage will know the exact location of the target even after they leave the Zone. *'Card' - The touch of magic forces the object into a new plane, creating a flat shape in the form of a playing card that allows the caster to carry an effectively weightless object easily. Only direct contact with the mage's touch will allow the magic to properly function and once outside of the Zone the effect will instantly vanish- launching the magic's recipient back into three-dimensional space. *'Propel' - Physical matter in the environment forms itself into shapes that perform well as projectiles and can be fired in the direction indicated by the casting mage. As with Pull, this is a one-time acceleration, not a gradual or controlled over time motion. *'Voidbeast '-''' An unusually potent summoning spell, the shadowy creature seems to draw power from everything else instead of the summoner's Zone post-summoning: nearby non-mages noticeably begin to turn into a glowing magical energy that is drawn into the monster's maw and even buildings will begin to fragment apart and be sucked in. Excess energy is transformed into Zone and sent to the mage that summoned it via an intangible cord- allowing the mage to reap the rewards with little effort on their part. Tactical Mind While not the oldest mage nor the strongest, Zack was the youngest mage known to survive The Shift and accordingly has spent a greater portion of his lifetime taking magic into consideration for battle than any other mage. As such he understands the potential of his magic in different situations faster than his mage brethren and learns how to respond to enemy magic at a rapid rate. Learning A feature of the magecraft Zack uses, if there is a spell/magical effect within his Zone, Zack can gradually observe the magic with his Zone to understand what it does and how it does it. With a long enough time period, he can even copy the magic itself for his own use so long as the magic itself doesn't change too drastically while observing it. More complex magic like magic involving cheating physical space or tampering with time take much longer to Understand and Learn compared to simpler spells like blasting the enemy with a bunch of energy. Dimension Any mage with Dimension Door gains access to their specific dimension and can travel to it and back to their home dimension (Earth) even when brought into another mage's dimension. Each mage can only access one dimension related to them, though killing other mages grants access to their dimension in turn along with the absorbed Zone and spells. These dimensions are real places, not created by the mage, and damage or alterations done to them will remain. While anyone can access these places, usually the mage who spawns the dimension will have a special grasp of the world itself and everything in it- at times making the connection seem more personal than their own flesh and blood. Zack's dimension is a foreign landscape seemingly inside an immense crater, with not a living thing present in the entire realm. The rim of this hollow is vast and quite tall- with the highest edges reaching up to the clouds above. The clouds themselves are thick and dark, causing the landscape to remain eternally overcast and without much color. Buildings line the multiple levels of the basin but they are uninhabited and empty of all furnishings save the dust and debris of time, some have fallen into disrepair and ruin. There are not only no people, but no bodies as well, not even bacteria can be found within the dimension; it is truly a place of desolation. The air in this bleak world is thick and harsh on the lungs due to the dust and debris, making breathing difficult and scouring the skin if exposed for too long. Metal rusts unusually quickly- suffering years of neglect in seconds when exposed to the atmosphere even though there is little moisture and heat. If Zack activates Dimension Door in reverse, the clouds of grit will manifest around him and fill his Zone with a whirling dervish. Ending the spell or completely depleting his Zone will force every particle to vanish back from whence it came. Equipment Spells can be stored into mundane objects in a manner known as "enchantment". This allows for passive and active spells to be used without sacrificing the mage's Zone, though the spells lose a great deal of flexibility when enchanted and will only stay enchanted so long as their private Zone stores last. Zack primarily enchants several items on his person: Coat His dark blue overcoat is typically Enforced as a passive enchantment, preventing it from taking damage or basically being altered in any way beyond his wish so long as its energy lasts. Shoes The white sneakers Zack wears each have Thunder Stride enchanted into them, allowing a half dozen Thunder Strides each when activated. Scarf A blue scarf that adheres to his face and covers Zack's nose and mouth. It is enchanted with Cleanse Air, enabling him to continue breathing even in the most hostile environments and as a bonus provides some protection to the rest of his face as well. Feats Notes- As Zack directly adds the power and spells of mages he kills to his own, that means he will be capable of any feat they were capable of since power is cumulative and he absorbs their spells, feats via scaling like this will be in italics. Spell names will be listed in brackets. Eleven through twelve years old during The Shift *Pull Was capable of Pulling a refrigerator with enough force to send it through an apartment wall across the room. *Pull Was capable of Pulling two corners of a full-sized dumpster towards the ground to flip it onto its side. *Pull From inside of said dumpster he could Pull the bottom towards himself with enough force to send the dumpster into the air and crashing into a wall. *Pull From outside the dumpster he could Pull it towards himself with enough force to send an adult man flying from the impact. *Pull Could Pull a fully grown human male up into the air and over a full-sized dumpster. *Pull Pulled the palms of his hands towards a man with so much force that his wrists cracked and the man crashed into a dumpster hard enough to be rendered unconscious. *Pull By slapping a window and Pulling at the last second after he jumped out, he could nullify a fall from at least a second-story building. *Pull Was capable of Pulling a car around in a semicircle to bring between him and an angry mob. *Blade Could conjure up a breadknife-sized Zone Blade and slice through a brick wall to cut the hands of the enemy mage on the roof. *Pull Marked a bat and threw it onto a fire escape before Pulling himself to the bat in order to make a jump. *''Snake In a dark apartment lit only by fireballs, they were capable of lifting grown humans into the air and restraining them easily, a bite could shatter a baseball bat into splinters.'' *Pull After the bat was shattered, the mark he'd left on it still worked and he Pulled the shards forwards at high enough speeds to pierce a human skull. Nineteen years old during The Calm *Stride Could cover thousands of feet in a single step. *Soundless Could run at a full sprint around a house without making any noise. *Soundless Could isolate himself and a shouting man within the field, preventing anyone else from hearing them. Weaknesses Zone Zack's magic is not unlimited. The Zone is a casting resource as well as an ability. Whenever Zack uses a spell, the Zone in the area thins and eventually vanishes until it replenishes or adjusts to fill the gap. This means Zack has difficulty continuously targeting the exact same physical space in relation to himself the farther away his target is and a longer battle will degrade his ability to keep aware of his opponent using the Zone. Only Human Despite his magical defenses, Zack is only a human and has the body of one. Should he run out of Zone to power his spells, he'll be no more durable, strong, or fast than a relatively unfit nineteen year-old human. Even some of his spells have this limitation holding him back as they're very specific in what they enhance, Thunder Stride doesn't gift him with the reflexes one would expect of those speeds for example, it only aids him in completing the step he takes with such speeds. Should an object get in his path while he's still stepping, he will not be able to react to it. Spell List While in regards to defense and subterfuge his spells are strong, Zack does not possess an overly offensive spell list and many of his spells that he uses for offense such as Pull, Zone Blade, Snadow Snake, Blood Sword, Ever Frost, and Transport are extremely limited in range or have additional restrictions for when they can be used: Pull requires Zack to touch the object he wishes to interact with at least once, Zone Blade cuts anything within weapon's reach but is incredibly draining and also can't be used for defense, Shadow Snakes are most effective in darkness otherwise they'll be weakened, the Blood Sword needs to taste blood or else he can't even lift it, Everfrost must be used sparingly because the ice is indiscriminate in what it harms and will never fade, and Transport has a delay of several seconds before the portal forms enough to be used. In addition, Zack is not a perfect caster. As the Zone is what creates the spell in response to the mage's need, no spoken words or physical gestures are actually needed to use a spell barring those that require a physical touch. Because Zack spent so long with physical spells that did require physical movements as a child, he has aquired a habit that for the most part forces him to require his hands to cast, though when stressed sufficiently and unable to use his limbs, he has overcome this weakness at times. This makes his hands and arms a much more vital area to defend compared to the more skilled mages as they're capable of using spells without any indication whatsoever. Descriptions from others Song - One of Zack's mage mentors ''What you should understand is that he's not a pacifist because he fears '''fighting a battle- it's because he fears ending it. '' Jeanne - Zack's cousin by blood A long time ago, Zack lost his younger brother when a mage attacked them. Since then he's never gone back and refuses to face his parents, I think he blames himself. '' Firebird - A former mage-assassin 'I'll' kill you, Zack won't, because he's a nice guy; he'll try everything he can to avoid fighting you in the first place and only then will he flip the kill-switch when he thinks there's no other way. That should frankly scare the shit out of you because between fighting me and Zack- I'd choose to fight me every time.'' Lavant - A member of the mage Disciplinary Committee Some of us still have our scars. We can bare them at any time because it's a pain everyone can understand and share. Zack's scars are not ours- he has a pain within that nobody has ever discovered and he will not reveal- so nobody can take it from him or help shoulder the burden. Officer Patty Burnwator - A police officer who frequently assists the mages He's done some bad things in the past, but by god if they didn't make him into one of the greatest forces for good this world has now, I don't know where we'd be. Sometimes a man needs to break before he can learn how to pull himself together. I've seen plenty of good children go bad- surely a bad child can still grow into a good man? Regulator - A government mage tasked with watching over a particular area/group It may be my job to enforce the peace, but Zack and his group do more to keep it than I ever could. I work in the present to make the world safe, he works with children to ensure in the future it stays that way. Heavy Truth - A villain that seeks to corrupt Zack and force him to start a mage revolution You are so much worse than me. I'm a '''killer'- you're a builder. Do you know the men who caused the most death in human history? Nobel, Oppenheimer, men who dreamed of creating a future without conflict when all they did was offer humans more ways to start the fire. That is your fate, whether you embrace it or not.'' Category:Original Characters Category:Friendlysociopath Category:Magic Users